A Springtime Stairway Refresh with Blogger Lisa Bass

Lisa Bass, the author behind the blog Farmhouse on Boone recently went all “Weekend Warrior” on her in-serious-need-of-a-makeover staircase and we are thrilled with the result, especially since she chose a Dash & Albert rug (or rugs, actually) to cover the stairs.

With spring around the corner, we know many of you might be starting your own DIY projects, so we thought a Q&A with Lisa about her stairway reno might prove to be useful. Scroll down to learn more about her process and to see the beautiful finished product!

How long have you been renovating your home?

We have been fixing up our home ever since we bought it almost nine years ago. We just started with paint and ripping up carpet. More recently, we have done some major renovations, like our kitchen and master bathroom. There is still so much to do, but we enjoy the process.

What made you decide to tackle a fixer-upper?

In all honesty, because it was cheap! We were able to pay it off in less than five years and then save up enough to do all the major renovations with cash.

What made you decide to refinish your stairs?

They had blue carpet on them when we move in, so removing that was an obvious choice. They looked horrible underneath from many years of wear and tear. Our house is almost 100 years old. I knew they could look beautiful with a little TLC.

What was the hardest part of this stairway project?

None of this project was really hard actually. I would say the most time consuming part was painting the stairs. We had to sand them first and then find time to paint them when no one would need to use the stairs. We had to work on it after the kids went to bed, so they would be dry by morning. With no upstairs bathroom, this was a bit tricky.

What was the easiest part of the project?

Putting the runner on was way easier than I expected. I thought it would be hard to keep it centered and straight, but it was actually super simple.

How did you decide on the color scheme?

I have a very defined color scheme in my whole house, so I knew I wanted something to fit in. I love neutral colors and patterns. I have a lot of white, gray and black.

I love the colors and stripe pattern. The stairs are right off my kitchen, so I thought the gray would tie in nicely with my gray grout, subway tile and light gray walls in the next room over. I also thought the pattern would blend well with my farmhouse style decor, like grain sack pillows, antiques and hardwood floors.

Your idea to use multiple 2×3 rugs as opposed to an actual runner was so creative! Any words of advice for readers who also have older homes/stairways that they want to spruce up?

I wasn’t so sure the small rugs overlapping would work out. I was worried you’d be able to see all the seams and it would look messy. As it turns out, that wasn’t a problem at all. They ended up looking so nice! I would recommend not skipping the step where you tuck the rug nicely into the area where the riser meets the next steps tread, with a putty knife or bolster chisel. Also, be sure to rip out the seam from the underneath rug so there isn’t much bulk. These steps helped to create seamless transitions.

What if anything would you have done differently with this project?

I honestly can’t think of anything. I wish we would have done it sooner. I thought it would be more time consuming and I thought installing a runner DIY-style would be more complicated.

What’s next on your to-do list?

We are currently in the middle of a major bathroom renovation. We gutted the whole thing. It has been a work in progress and should finally be done in about a week. After that, I want to spruce up the front of the house and give it a little more curb appeal.

You can read Lisa’s full post and see more before and after shots of her stairs here and see our entire collection of stair runners here! Do you have any DIY projects of your own in the pipeline? Have you ever tackled a staircase renovation similar to Lisa’s? Share your stories in the comments below!

All photos courtesy of Lisa Bass.

A Springtime Stairway Refresh with Blogger Lisa Bass was last modified: March 13th, 2017 by Andrea